General Agriculture

Types of Degrees General Agriculture Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many general agriculture graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	320
Graduate Certificate	25
Doctor’s Degree	8

What General Agriculture Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to agriculture and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Agriculture Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Skills for Agriculture Majors

When studying agriculture, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Abilities for Agriculture Majors

A major in agriculture will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a General Agriculture Major?

People with a agriculture degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Agricultural Sciences Professors	7.9%	$84,640
Animal Scientists	4.9%	$58,380
Food Scientists and Technologists	5.9%	$65,300
Soil and Plant Scientists	9.0%	$63,950

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in General Agriculture?

The major attracts more women than men. About 62% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of agriculture majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	9
Black or African American	43
Hispanic or Latino	26
White	192
International Students	28
Other Races/Ethnicities	22

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Agriculture. About 8.8% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Nigeria
• Nepal
• India
• South Korea

How Much Do General Agriculture Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that general agriculture students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree made a median starting salary of $51,520 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $50,789 (25th percentile) and $52,245 (75th percentile).

It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in agriculture, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $67,690 to $72,570 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to agriculture. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to General Agriculture

Some degrees associated with agriculture may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for agriculture careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	24.8%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	2.0%
Master’s Degree	21.7%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.2%
Doctoral Degree	39.8%
Post-Doctoral Training	11.9%

Online General Agriculture Programs

In 2020-2021, 188 schools offered a agriculture program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	18	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	104	8
Bachelor’s Degree	3	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	33	4
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	5	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in General Agriculture Worth It?

The median salary for a agriculture grad is $70,630 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 77% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $614,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to General Agriculture

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to agriculture.

Major	Number of Grads
Plant Sciences	912
Food Science Technology	692
Animal Science	596
Agricultural Economics & Business	410
Agricultural Public Services	179
Agricultural Production	163
Soil Sciences	158
Other Agriculture	104
International Agriculture	46
Horticulture	15
Animal Services	8
Food Processing	2
Agricultural Mechanization	0
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By W.carter under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.